The Lost Generation
by OrchidFlower
Summary: This is the story of a 2005 Romeo and Juliet. She was the formerly abused rich girl who had fallen for an orphaned street boy. When the war was finally over, she thought they would finally have peace, but she was wrong, and now faces ghosts from her past.


**The Lost Generation**

_Authors' Note:_ With the permission of the former author of _Archangel's Virgin, _I bring you the 2005 version of the Duo and Danielle saga. A more tragic and darker version of what was written in the past. With the help from the original author _love-buggie _who will now be known as _VirginBleeding _when her chapters are written. I hope you enjoy this joint effort. We do not recommend this story for younger readers.

_Usual Disclaimer: We do not own Gundam Wing or its characters._

**Prologue:**

**Everywhere to Me**

OrchidFlower

They said they saw him roam here. The lost soul that had been alone in life. A wispy form in black. They said they could see him on the anniversary of the Maxwell Church Massacre, standing in the spot where the church had once stood. Nothing was there now, just a burnt memory, a memory that had all but faded in the minds of the new colonists, who had been made to forget the past once the war had ended. Once in awhile though, another lonesome youth would come to glance upon the ghosts of the past. He would see a silent figure with haunting lavender eyes dressed in all black, shifting in the light dawn. This wandering spirit was that of the forgotten soldier. For a moment, the youth would remember his name. _Duo Maxwell. _The morning would whisper. But it was all soon forgotten because this spirit never stayed long. It disappeared into the artificial brightness of a superficial sun, and the youth would forget he had ever laid eyes on the soldier who had once been innocent.

There was one who would not forget him though. The former girl would have his name bitterly tattooed to her memory because he had burned his name on her heart. This woman had once been known as "Dani". It had stuck since her childhood, but only _he _was allowed to use this nickname. Now that he had died with the resurrection of peace, the nickname had vanished, and she went again by "Danielle" or "Miss Salem". Both names were as somber as the woman. She knew that behind her back the children had nicknamed her "Miss Smiles" a sarcastic jab at the fact that she had forgotten how to rise the corners of her mouth into the reaction known as a "grin" or "smirk". Some whispered that the muscles had been out of use for so long that they had simply ceased to exist. Danielle ignored them, and went on with her life. There was no reason to correct these rumors, for even she now doubted that she would ever "grin" or "smile" again.

Danielle Salem had moved back to L2 in hopes of bringing the chaotic colony some peace. She worked as an underpaid social worker who was known for her "no bull shit" tactics and hardened mask. Amazingly, she had come to be respected by many of the street kids and gangs. They looked up to her steely resolve and her successful attempts at getting this new generation off the streets and getting them into stable homes. She could walk the streets without much threat, and that was a feat to be respected in itself.

Things had not always been like this for Miss Salem though. At some point, she had been the rich girl everyone saw looking down at the world from a broad bay window, but that was a story for another day. Danielle was too focused on this moment to think about her past. It was the anniversary that night, and she had perched herself on the some of the rubble, hoping that what gossip said was true. A part of her heart still bled to see him, even if it was in a transparent form. She waited with aching patience for just a glimpse.

Soon a long dream came to pass, and in the silver glow of the moonlight was the spirit of the young man. He stood as he in her dreams, poignant and unwavering. Danielle watched him with an disembodied feeling of guilt. It floated in front of her like a free floating stream, mixing with her hot tears. She peered on as she cried numb tears, gazing at the mournful ghost who seemed to be oblivious to her presence. Let him ignore her though, she didn't want him to see her emptiness.

Just as the gossipers had whispered, Duo's spirit only lingered for a few seconds before dawn, and then he was gone with the night. Danielle wiped away her tears with the faded sweatshirt, and got up from her perch on the stone mementos of a long-ago disaster. She turned her back on the scene and refused to look back as she walked away, unaware of two piercing amethyst eyes drilling into her back…

Danielle's paper work had mounted to astronomical levels on the top of her desk as the day's passed, but she ignored it. She was sure that she would be told to leave the building where she worked on the corner of two nameless streets, but something inside her shrugged it off. Work had become more trouble than it was worth, and Danielle found that she couldn't keep up anymore. The drive to keep working had suddenly broken, and she was left to face emotions she had denied for eight years. Since the end of the war and his death, she had pushed herself to deny everything. Danielle have dove into work and finding safety for street orphans like Duo. Some of them reminded her of him, and she was forced again to face the grief, but she quickly pushed it below the surface, and hid within the chaos of social work.

Now Danielle shifted through e-mails, only stopping when she read the formidable name of _Miss Relena Peacecraft _and with a sense of dread, clicked on the email and began to read. It was an informal invitation to a "peace banquet" celebrating 10 years of peace. Danielle felt her stomach knot. She quickly hit the  
"reply" button and wrote some excuse about being too busy. A banquet was the worse place to be at a time like this.

_'Let them think what they want. Let them think I'm killing myself by working myself to hard or mourning Duo for too long. I'm not going back there. I'm not going back to face any of them or their pity.' _Danielle mused bitterly as she turned off the computer. Picking up her raggedy purse, she strolled from the office, and into the hall. Escape felt only half-rewarding, but it was all she could get right now.

When Danielle had returned to her one-room apartment, she felt a cold shiver blanket her shoulders. Danielle merely brushed it off, and wondered if she could go one more night without having to go to the grocery store. She turned of the TV for some background noise, and walked into the kitchen area.

With a heavy sigh of resignation, Danielle wandered over to the closet and took out another package of Raman noodles, and a sauce pan. Danielle dully went through the steps of boiling water, dumping in the noodles, and then mixing in the "sauce". While immersed in her own humble life, she hadn't noticed the eerie quiet of the apartment. The TV had suddenly gone still, and all she had to listen to were her thoughts. When the silence finally penetrated Danielle's mind, she froze.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she had turned the stove off and was listening to the night's music, a quiet rhythm of summer breeze, and traffic.

_"Dani..." _A soft voice interrupted the regular pattern, throwing off Danielle's sanity for a moment as she tried to decide whether or not she was hearing things. It was not until she looked up that she saw that she was not. The wispy form of her lover stood there in the middle of her apartment, staring at her with those haunting amethyst holes that used to hold the expressive eyes.

Danielle felt her breath being sucked from her lungs, as the color quickly drained from her face. It couldn't be.

"What…? You can't…" The words wouldn't come. Danielle shook her head, closing her eyes from the sight before her, trying to deny what stood in front of her. He was dead, he couldn't be…

_"Open your eyes Dani. Just look at me." _Danielle felt the wounds of her heart reopening as the pleading voice ripped at the delicate organ. Her life blood began to seep forward. There was no more running from the truth. So she opened her eyes, and looked at him as hot tears poured from the corners of her eyes.

"What do you want from me!" Danielle whispered hoarsely, wishing fervently that he would just disappear.

_"Stop running Dani… I just wanted you to be happy."_

"**HAPPY! YOU JUST WANTED ME TO BE HAPPY! IF YOU WANTED ME TO BE HAPPY, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE KILLED YOURSELF!**" Danielle screamed, her sanity finally seeping through her words. There was nothing left to run from. He was everywhere to her, and now she had to face the demon that was her past.


End file.
